Markets, movies, mermaids and music on this weekend's culinary calendar

It will be hot in Denver this weekend -- and we're not just talking temperature. The culinary calendar is packed with activities, including an eclectic new food market, Breck Brewery's annual bash and a mermaid mashup. Keep reading for a taste of what's ahead...

Clips Beer and Film Tour, a beer-toting, film-traveling, nonprofit-benefiting show featuring short films from New Belgium fans, is making a stop at the Twenty-Ninth Street Mall in Boulder from 8 to 11 p.m. tonight. The event features short films and plenty of New Belgium beer, including hard-to-find rarities from the Lips of Faith series. Admission is free; for more information, visit the New Belgium website.

Saturday, July 12

Swim over to the Aquarium Restaurant in the Downtown Aquarium and cool off at an exclusive breakfast feast with the Mystic Mermaids from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. this morning. The mermaids will be signing autographs and taking photos, and you will also get 50 percent off the Aquarium Exhibit entrance with breakfast purchase. The meal is $16.99 for adults and $10.99 for children ages three-ten; two and under are free. Space is limited; call 303-561-4450 to make a reservation.

Starting at 11 a.m., the annual block party in front of Breckenridge Brewery will feature the full Breckenridge beer lineup, a pig roast, two outdoor stages of live music, free brewery tours, and tastings of unique beers from Breckenridge Brewery's pilot brewery and rare beer cellar. Music will be provided by DeadPhish Orchestra, The Magic Beans, Kitchen Dwellers, Trout Steak Revival, Colorado Goat Ropers Guild and Marty Jones & the Great Unknowns. Tickets for the hootenanny are $24 and you can grab yours at breckbrew.com For more on this shindig, check out the brewery's Facebook page.

TheBigWonderful, Denver's first year-round food-incubator market, will be launching on Saturday, July 12 and will pop up every subsequent Saturday at Sustainability Park. The market promises to be a win-win situation for foodies and vendors alike. For vendors, it is a low-cost, high-traffic jumping-off point for entrepreneurs and established businesses alike to experiment and pilot new concepts, and get their food to the masses. For attendees, the event offers affordable, inspiring, unique and diverse food options. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free. For more information, check out thebigwondeful.com.

The Taste and Sound of Fort Collins will be enticing the senses from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Civic Center Park in Fort Collins today. Several Colorado wineries will be on hand to offer tastes and sell their wines, and local restaurants and gourmet mobile kitchens will offer both free samples and larger portions for sale. There will also be live music, chocolatiers and arts and crafts vendors. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by clicking here.

Three Leaf Farm will be hosting a Summer's Bounty Dinner tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. Enjoy a tour of Three Leaf Farm's urban farm, meet the goats, horses and chickens, and relax while dining on dishes crafted by chef William Kelley, executive chef of Zucca Italian Ristorante. The unique dining experience is $85 and reservations are required; make yours here.

Main Street in Central City will be the scene for the Colorado distillers' festival today, featuring over twenty distilleries and more than 100 spirits. There will also be gambling, live music, street shows, food and classic cars.

Sunday, July 13

Come on down to Fado Irish Pub today to watch Argentina take on Germany in the World Cup final. There will be drink and food specials and the game will be on all of Fado's big screens. Visit fadoirishpub.com for more info.

Casselman's will also be hosting a viewing party for the final match starting at noon, with drink specials, giveaways and a raffle. Admission is free and proceeds from sales will benefit the One World Futbol Project. For more information, click here.

For information on dozens of culinary events around town, visit our online Food & Drink listings -- and if you have information for a culinary event you'd like included in our online calendar, send it to cafe@westword.com.